Today's recipe of the day is by Chef Cristian J. Escalante (co-writer of Being Latino (comida) facebook fan page)

1. Soak the flour in water and cook it with a little salt one day before making the tamales.

2. next day make a dough.

3. Boil the carrots, potatoes and meat in separate pots, seasoning with black pepper, cumin, coriander and salt.4. Once this is done add the water from the meat you just cooked to the dough until you get a good consistency.

5. add salt and the potatoes, previously pureed in a blender.

6.Wash the plantain or banana leaves.

8. Cut them into 16 by 14 inch pieces.

9. On each piece place two tablespoonfuls of dough.

10. On top of the dough place a tablespoonful of rice, a piece of meat, some chicharron, a slice or two of carrots, some peas, coriander and a strip of sweet pepper.11. Fold the leaf into a rectangular shape, making sure no part of the tamal is exposed.

Chef Douglas Rodriguez is known for coining the phrase "Nuevo Latino Cuisine". Yesterday he was featured on Top Chef Masters. For the Quickfire challenge he made an open faced arepa with well seasoned scrambled eggs and ham. He was eliminated for unsuccesfully impressing the judges with burning coconuts and duck made four ways. It looked impressive to me. His charity recieved a donation eitherway.

Wednesday, June 10th 2009A Hidden Taco Gem in MidtownI discovered a new blog today that discovered a hidden taqueria in the back of grocery store in Midtown Manhattan. Fressagirl's blog looks very interesting. I plan on reading more.Read the post

Monday, June 8th 2009Margarita Special at ToloacheToloache, one of my favorite Mexican restaurants, is having a happy hour margarita special. $5 all day Monday. Stay tuned for this weeks post to read about our visit to Toloache...

Thursday, June 4th 2009Legalize Street Food in ChicagoHere's an interesting post of street food and whether it should be legalized throughout cities. New York street food is prevalent but Chicago only allows them in city parks.

Read the postMonday, June 1st 2009Did you know: Potatoes are Originally From South America

I mentioned this fact to a coworker who thought it was untrue. he said he would research it online and discredit my blog if he found it was not true. Luckily my facts were straight.

Thursday, May 28th 2009Tacos at the Brooklyn Public LibraryThe owner of Barrio, a colorful Mexican restaurant in Brooklyn that will be on the path of the beyond burrito journey, has opened Mambo cafe at the Brooklyn public library.Read the post

Tuesday, May 26th 2009Founder of Nuevo Latino Natural Foods helps small businessesNuevo Latino Natural Foods was founded to distribute natural food in the Latin food category. The founder is using a percentage of income to loan money to small businesses in Latin AmericaRead the post

Monday, May 18th 2009Free Cocktail with order of an Entree at MacondoIn March we visited Macondo and fell in love. The food is remarkable. Read my post. Every Sunday this summer you will get a free cocktail if you order an entree for dinner.Read the post

Friday, May 15th 2009One Last Burrito Before Going to JailA felony suspect speeds away from cops in an effort to have one last burrito before going to jail. Do you blame him. Personally I would have gone beyond burritos.Read the post

Thursday, May 14th 2009Outdoor Eating Guide for Forest Hills and Kew GardensI know today's blurb is super local but if you are not from the neighborhood, I think you would enjoy dining in Forest Hills and Kew Gardens. There's a fresh feeling to it hence the nieghborhoods being named after Trees and Gardens. I am interested in trying out Tu CasaRead the post

Wednesday, May 13th 2009History of EmpanadasEmpanadas are very common throughout Latin America. I would say it's the most popular portable food. This post gives a short history of the origin and how different varieties have blossomed around the world.Read the post

Monday, May 11th 2009Shrimp Ceviche for Hot Days approachingYesterday we went to Red Hook and were bummed to find out that the Chilean cart ran out of shrimp ceviche. I've been craving it ever since. There's nothing like a moist cold shrimp ceviche to satisfy ones hot appetite on a sunny day.Recipe

Cochinita pibil is Jaquie's favorite dish and it's one of my top five. In New York it's hard to find pork loin so we rarely ever make it. This recipe suggests pork shoulder so look out for our own version very soon.

Daily Blurb ArchiveThursday, May 7th 2009The Authentic BurritoThe burrito was born in Chihuahua where popular tradition attributes the invention to Juan Mendez, who would would store guisados in flour tortillas and transport them by burro to Ciudad Juarez for sale.Hence the name, burritos...Read the rest of the post

Wednesday, May 6th 2009Latin Street Food Paradise in Red HookI've yet to visit the Red Hook food vendors but I will soon. Especially after reading NYCfoodguy's post and seeing the pics.Read the Post

Monday, May 4th 2009Mexican Style PaellaThere's one more day until Cinco de Mayo. Since Mexican culture is all the craze, i've posted a link to an interesting take on the paella. Mexican Style!Recipe

Friday, May 1st 2009New site Food2.com gives recipe for MicheladasMicheladas are definitely an acquired taste as I mentioned in my Milanesa a la Mexicana post, but once you acquire this taste there are few beverages that are as refreshing.Frosty Michelada Recipe.Is Ceviche the next Sushi?

Ceviche is the Latin American version of uncooked fish. Instead it is cured in lime and served cold in the marinade. From South to Central America the varieties are endless.

Though May 5th is not celebrated in Mexico, I don't see why we can't take advantage to celebrate a little Mexican fever (no swine flu pun intended). LA Times compiled some pictures and recipes that had me drooling.

Nobody taught me how to peel a plantain. At first I tried making a slit down the middle and peeling with my nails. I realized I was doing it wrong after my nails began bruising.Here's the official way to peel a platano.Monday, April 27th 2009Video Food Documentary of Lima, Peru

If you think the way I do, Peru is high on your "places to travel" list. This video makes it jump to number one. If I could, I would jump on a plane tomorrow.

See the video and learn about Lima's CuisineFriday, April 24th 2009Mexican Brunch Buffet in AstoriaFellow food blogger foodistanyc.com has discovered a very well priced Mexican brunch buffet. $9.95 with a free Mimosa. I may check this out on Saturday.Read about it here.Thursday, April 23rd 2009Burrito Bomb ScareA suspicious package was called in as a bomb threat yesterday in a Bank in South Carolina. Homeland Security equipped with robots later found out the package was a burrito. Beyondburritos is not responsible. Read the entire story.Chicken Chorizo and Potato Quesadilla RecipeQuesadillas are the perfect little snack. A simple one can be prepared quickly if you have tortillas and cheese in the fridge. Get the recipe here.Wednesday, April 22nd 2009How do you know if you are eating Authentic Mexican??For those of you that don't have the privilege of dining with a Mexican partner, check out this post to learn a little about the differences between Authentic Mexican food and the Texan inventions.